Your classroom library, and graphic novels

How do you manage your classroom library?  For years, I've had a checkout system where kids wrote their names and the book checked out in a binder, then crossed it out when they returned it.

If they remembered to do that.

If they remembered to return the book.

Someone told me about Booksource about a month ago.  It allows you to scan all of your books by location or genre, and kids check out the books by scanning the ISBN code on an iPad.

Have you used this?  Any success stories?

I feel like it has the potential to be good, but it's not quite there yet.  Convince me otherwise, please!

And speaking of books......my all-time favorite author on all things reading, Donalynn Miller, wrote a blog post the other day that basically said, "Stop being a dork and let your kids read graphic novels.  It doesn't mean they won't read other books, too!"  Okay, that's not quite what she said, but that's how it hit me.  If you want to see what she actually said, click here.  So, today, I went to the bookstore and bought these books for my library.

Okay, the last two aren't graphic novels.  I was familiar with Raina Telgemeier's books, but El Deafo looks pretty interesting.  May have to plop down on the couch and read that one tonight so that I can tell kids about it tomorrow!

Have a good rest of the week!